Upholstery making apparatus



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fiQ ,zzzgwww. J W a? Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE National Automotive Fibres, llnc.,

Detroit,

Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application November 2, 1931, Serial No. 572,691

34 Claims.

This invention relates particularly to a machine and method for manufacturing stuffed, pleated upholstery. .Such a machine is adapted, for example, to the manufacture of automo- 5 bile seat-cushions, back-cushions, etc.

The primary object is to provide an improved machine and improved method which will greatly facilitate the manufacture of stuffed, pleated upholstery.

More especially, the present invention is intended to provide a machine particularly suited to the use of pre-cut covers in forming cushions, for example, for automobiles.

The objects of the invention are, in a large measure, accomplished by making use of the principle of fluid pressure (through the medium of a suction-carrier) for shaping the main (finish) fabric into pleat-fullnesses and intervening seam-ridges; and, preferably, important novel adjuncts are used in connection with the pneumatic carrier for shaping and feeding the materials through the machine and properly forming the upholstery.

In the use of the improved machine, as preferably constructed, pre-cut covers, a lining-fabric, and strips of batting are fed through the machine, the pre-cut covers being lowermost as the work is fed through the machine; the liningfabric has formed therein upstanding seamridges; the pro-cut covers are fed, seriatim, over a suitable bed and provided with upstanding seam-ridges and intervening depressed pleats, or pipes, the seam-ridges of the covers becoming nested Within the seam-ridges of the lining-fabric; strips of cotton-batting, or the like, are drawn through with the fabrics and fill the pleats; and the upstanding, nested seam-ridges of the lining-fabric and of the pre-cut covers (suitably spaced) are sewed by means 0f S W mechanisms mounted on a cross-beam above the path of the materials, each sewing-mechanism preferably comprising a head carrying a sewingneedle and looper-needle.

The work is fed continuously through the machine. The lining is a continuous fabric; the cotton batts are continuous strips; and the cover-fabric preferably is pro-cut to provide covers, which, in the operation of the machine are sewed to the lining. If desired, the batts fed to the pleats are periodically broken to correspond with spaces between cushions, so that the upholstery produced is a continuous piece composed of a series of cushions connected by short lengths of lining-fabric.

The lining-fabric may be cut at the spaces between cushions to effect separation of the cushions.

In the present invention use is made of a suction-conveyor and associated spaced ridges adapted to form seam-ridges and intervening pleat-- 5 fullnesses in a fabric; and, for the purpose of adapting the machine to handle with great facility pre-cut covers, the present invention employs, in combination with the device mentioned, cover-placing mechanism adapted to position the covers, one at a time, over the conveyor and the ridges at the upper side of the conveyor, and co-acting depressing devices, or pleat-formers, which operate to depress linear portions of the cover into the spaces between the ridges and thus bring the cover fabric Within the effective action of the suction conveyor. The seamridges of the cover are at the same time formed over the ridges associated with the conveyor. Preferably, the formers travel in cycles and are depressed progressively in pairs, first at the medial line of the machine and then in both directions laterally therefrom. The effect is to progressively pleat the cloth over the ridge-bars associated with the conveyor from the intermediate portion of the cloth laterally and progressively in both directions.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in

which Fig. 1 is a broken front elevational view of an upholstery machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2, a broken side elevationalview; Fig. 3, a broken vertical longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 3a a broken perspective view showing a detail of the adjustable chute-devices employed; Fig. 4, a broken detail View illustrating a portion of the super-structure which carries a lining-fabric tensioning device; Fig. 5, a broken side elevational view illustrating a mechanism for actuating the cotton-batt feeding means and mechanisms for actuating the piece-placer and the forming mechanisms employed; Fig. 6, a broken plan view of the machine; Fig. 7, a broken horizontal extended sectional view illustrating the mechanism for actuating the piece-placer and the fabric-forming mechanism; Fig. 8, a broken vertical longitudinal sectional View showing the piece-placer and the forming mechanism mentioned; Fig. 8a, a broken transverse sectional View, taken as indicated at line 8a of Fig. 8; Fig. 9, a broken transverse vertical sectional view taken as indicated at line 9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10, a broken transverse vertical sectional view, taken as indicated at line It of Fig. 6; Fig. 11, a simi- 55 lar sectional view showing the forming-mechanism in lowered position; Fig. 12, a broken longitudinal vertical section, taken as indicated at line 12 of Fig. 14, and showing a portion of the superstructure in which the batt-conveyor is mounted; Fig. 13, a broken elevational view showing a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 14, a broken transverse vertical section, taken as indicated at line M of Fig. 13; Fig. 15, a broken vertical longitudinal sectional view showing a front portion of a pneumatic conveyor and the cross-head which carries the, sewing-mechanisms and attendant devices; Fig. 16, a broken front view partly in section, showing one of the sewingmechanisms and (in section) a. portion of a cushion; Fig. 17, a broken section taken as indicated at line I! of Fig. 15; Fig. 18, a section taken as indicated at line I8 of Fig. 15, omitting the cross-head; Fig. 19, a broken plan View showing a series of cushions formed by the machine; Fig. 20, a side elevational view illustrating delivery mechanism employed, this mechanism serving to deliver the product, in folded condition, onto a floor truck, if desired; Fig. 21, a broken side elevational View of the deliverymechanism; Fig. 22, a sectional View, taken as indicated at line 22 of Fig. 21; Fig. 23, a broken plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 21; Fig. 24, a broken vertical section taken as indicated at line 24 of Fig. 23; Fig. 25, a plan View of the delivery-mechanism; Fig. 26, a transverse vertical section taken as indicated at line 26 of Fig. 20; Fig. 27, a broken vertical longitudinal sectional View showing portions of the driving mechanism and showing also an auto matically actuated support for pr-cut covers; Fig, 28, a broken front elevational view showing the sub-structure of the frame and illustrating the motor and transmission equipment; Fig. 29, a view of the vertically adjustable cover-support mentioned; Fig. 30, a plan view of the transmission which drives the elevator-actuating shaft shown in Fig. 27, the cover-support being here referred to as an elevator; Fig. 31, a broken side elevational view illustrating the manner in which the batt-conveyor is driven; and Fig. 32, a broken vertical sectional view taken as indicated at line 32 of Fig. 2'7, the section showing a portion of a variable-speed transmission device through which power is transmitted to actuate cams which control the periodicity of operation of the batt-feeding means and also of the pieceplacing means and fabric-forming mechanism.

Describing in detail the preferred embodiment il1ustrated A designates a main frame which is equipped near its front end with a vertically adjustable cross-head A, the framebeing provided with a bed-extension A over which the covers are fed; A a frame-work which serves as a support for a batt-conveyor and other devices disposed over the frame A; B (Fig. 3), a front suction-conveyor mounted in the bed of the machine; 13', an auxiliary. conveyor disposed back of the conveyor 13; B (Figs. 3 and 10), longitudinally extending ridge-bars which extend over both conveyors and have their front ends extending through peripheral grooves in a forming-roll mounted on the cross-head mentioned; C (Figs. 1 and 3), a series of sewing-mechanisms mounted on the cross-head A and laterally adjustable thereon to enable the width of the pleats to be varied, said sewingmechanism being actuated by a common shaft which, as shown in Fig. l, is driven through the medium of acoupling-shaft C from a shaft C journaled in the main frame; D (Figs. 1 and 2), a thread-supporting device positioned above the sewing-mechanisms and supported from the frame A E, E, a pair of front feed rolls by which the upholstery is drawn through the front end of the machine and from which the upholstery passes to the delivery mechanism which serves to fold it; F, a forming-roll disposed back of and carried by the lower portion of the adjustable cross-head A, said forming-roll having spaced circumferential grooves through which the ridgebars 13 extend; G (Figs. 15-18), a series of lining-creasers adjustably mounted on a transverse bar G carried by the bed; H, (Fig. 3), a front bait-feeding roll which coacts with a concave H; I, I, an auxiliary pair of batt-feeding rolls journaled in supports carried by the main frame, said auxiliary rolls being periodically arrested to cause severance of the batts; J, a shearing edge forming a part of the'concave H and disposed immediately back of the front battfeeding roll H; K, K (Figs. 2 and 3) mounting blocks carried by the main frame and supporting the batt-feeding rolls and the associated concave;

L (Figs. 2, 6, 27, 28 and 32), an electric motor disposed under the front portion of the frame of the machine, which actuates, through the medium of a chain or belt L, a counter shaft L L a sprocket chain actuated by the shaft L and serving to actuate reversing gear mechanism L shown in Fig. 30, this mechanism serving to actuate a rearwardly and downwardly inclined shaft L which serves to actuate the elevator or fabricsupport; L a sprocket chain which serves to actuate a jack-shaft L, which in turn, actuates a belt L through the medium of which the variable.

speed transmission mechanism L (Figs. 27, 28 and 32) is actuated; L a shaft actuated by the variable speed mechanism L and serving, in turn, to actuate a horizontal shaft L (Figs. 5, 27 and 28), the shaft L serving to actuate a cam-shaft which controls the batt-feeding mechanism and which controls also the piece-placing mechanism and the fabric-forming mechanism; L (Figs. 2, 6 and 27), a sprocket chain driven by the shaft L and serving to drive a shaft L which, in turn, operates through speed-reducing mechanism L to actuate the lower upholstery-feeding roll E; L a sprocket chain actuated from the shaft L and serving to actuate a short horizontal shaft L which as shown in Fig. 6 serves to actuate the shaft C (Fig. 1) L a sprocket chain which, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 driven by the lower feed roll E, and which serves to actuate a shaft L which is employed to actuate the batt-coiweyor and the rear batt-feeding rolls; L (Fig. 6), a sprocket chain driven by the lower feed-roll E and serving to actuate a shaft L from which power is communicated through transmission means L to the forming-roll F; L a sprocket chain driven from the lower feed-roll E and serving to actuate a short transverse shaft L which actuates a sprocket chain L serving to transmit power to a shaft L which actuates the front suction-conveyor; L a sprocket chain (Fig. 2) driven by the shaft L and serving to drive a roll L which actuates the rear suction-conveyor B; M (Figs. 2 and 27), a slowly elevated fabricsupport, or cover-support which serves to elevate a stack M of pre-cut covers; N (Figs. 2, 3, 6, 8 and 10) piece-placing mechanism adapted to position the pre-cut covers on the bed of the machine; 0 (Figs. 2, 6 and 71l), fabric-forming mechanism cooperating with the suction-conveyors and the rid e-bars in forming the covers into seam-ridges and intervening pleat-fullnesses; P (Figs. 2, 3 and a lining-fabric which is drawn from a roll P about a tensioning device P (Figs. 2 and 4) and thence to the forming-roll F; Q (Figs. 2, 3 and 12-14), a batt-conveyor supported on the frame A said conveyor having a front propelling-roll Q which is actuated by a shaft Q driven (Fig. 6) from a shaft Q which, in turn, is driven by a sprocket chain Q from the shaft L Q batts carried by the conveyor Q and descending from the front end thereof over an inclined plate Q to the batt-feeding rolls I and I; R, a series of guides or short chutes mounted on the main frame and serving to guide the batts to the rolls I and I; and R a transverse shaft equipped with toothed batt-feeding and directing disks R which serve to effectively direct and feed the batts through the chutes R.

The frame A may be of any suitable construction. In the illustration given, the bed-extension A is shown supported at its front end on a pedestal I of the main frame, and at its rear end on adjustable legs 2.

The suction conveyors B and B are shown equipped with open-topped suction-boxes 3 which are equipped with rollers l over which the upper lengths of the forarninous belts 5 and 6 pass. The frames, or boxes 3, are supported on adjustable devices 1 so that the conveyors can be raised or lowered, according to the depth of the pleatfullnesses desired, it being understood that the fabric is drawn downwardly through the spaces between the ridge-bars to bear against the upper length of the suction-conveyor.

The suction boxes are exhausted through pipes 8 and 9 which connect with a pipe it which communicates with the in-take portion of an exhaust fan H. In practice, only a moderate degree of suction is required at the conveyor 13, and a still smaller amount of suction is desirable at the rear conveyor B. The fan is operated (Fig. 2) by an electric motor 12.

As has been stated, the rear suction-conveyor is driven from the front conveyor through the medium of a sprocket chain L The ridge-bars B extend longitudinally over both conveyors. They are adjustably secured at their front ends (Fig. 3), as by bolts l3, to a cross-member l4 of the frame; also, they are adjustably secured at an intermediate point to the cross-member I5 disposed between the conveyors; and they are further adjustably secured at their rear ends, as by bolts I6, to a cross-member l'i. These connections permit lateral adjustment of the ridge-bars to enable them to be spaced to produce the desired width of pleat.

It will be noted that the front conveyor extends in front of the sewing-mechanisms and the same is true of the ridge-bars. The ridge-bars register with circumferential grooves [8 (Figs. 3 and 6) of the forming-roll F and also with grooves or spaces between adjustable shoes 19 with which the cross-head is equipped at its lower edge. See also Figs. 16-18.

The seam-ridges 28 of the cover-pieces M (Fig. 16) are formed over the ridge-bars and pass through the grooves of the forming-roll F and thence to the sewing-mechanisms. During the passage of the materials through the grooves of the forming-roll the seam-ridges 2Q become nested within seam-ridges 2! which are formed in the lining P by the lining-creasers G (Figs. 15-18 which coact with the grooves N3 of the formingroll. The ridges of the members 13 are cut away as indicated at 22 (Fig. 15) to permit the sewingneedle to pass through the seam-ridges of the fabrics. As shown in Fig. 16, the shoes [9 are suitably recessed to permit the operation of the needles.

The sewing-mechanisms C may be of any suitable construction and may be operated in any suitable manner. The sewing-mechanisms shown (Figs. 1, l5 and 16) are mounted on laterally adjustable brackets 23 carried by the cross-head A. The brackets are equipped with bosses 24 concentric with the shaft C, and the frame of the sewing-head is pivotally suspended from the bosses of the brackets.

The sewing-mechanisms need not be described in detail. It may be stated, however, that each sewing-head is equipped with a lever 25 which carries a sewing-needle 25 and is equipped further with a lever 26 which carries a looper-needle 26 These levers are actuated from the continuously rotating shaft C in a manner which need not be described in detail. The thread which supplies the sewing-needle is designated 25", be-' ing drawn from a spool 25 (Fig. 2); and the thread which supplies the looper-needle is designated 26*, being drawn from a spool 26. The sewing-needle operates to thrust the sewingthread transversely through the nested seamridges of the fabrics, and the sewing-thread and the looper-thread become interlooped in a manner now well understood in the art.

The head of each sewing-mechanism is equipped with a seam-embracing shoe 2'! (Fig. 16) The fin or rib of the ridge-bar extends into the groove of the member 21 and is cut away at 22, as has been stated.

The thread-supporting device D (Fig. 2) may be of any suitable construction. It is shown as comprising a member 28 upon which the spools of thread are supported, and a member 29 equipped with eyes 38 through which the threads pass. The front feed-rolls E and E are equipped with gears 3! (Fig. 1). The upper feed-roll is journaled in movable brackets 32 adapted to be moved by a lever 33 to throw the upper-roll to an idle position. Ordinarily the rolls E and E are covered with rubber and geared to run slightly faster than the suction-conveyor and the forming-roll.

The forming-roll F may be of any desired construction. Ordinarily, it comprises (Figs. and 18) a shaft 341 equipped with adjustable grooved collars 35 in which the grooves l8 are formed. These collars may be suitably spaced on the shaft to correspond with a pleat of desired width. The shoes 19 at the lower edge of the cross-head A also are adjustably mounted to permit lateral adjustment.

Each of the lining-creasers G (Figs. 15 and 17 comprises a shoe 3% which carries an upwardly and rearwardly inclined arm or blade 36 The shoe 36 is adjustably mounted on the cross-bar G by means of an adjusting bolt 3% to permit lateral adjustment of the lining-creaser. The shoe 35 has a V-shaped base-portion 38 which overlies the corresponding ridge-bar. The lower front apex portion of the lining-creaser extends into the groove 18, and thus serves to force a portion of the lining-fabric E into the groove and form a seam-ridge in the fabric. The arms 3% of the various lining-creasers G vary in height,

those at the longitudinal central portion of the machine being longest and the others being gradually reduced in length as the sides of the bed are approached. The result is to gather the liningfabric first at the central portion and then, in. 

